Press Release
Date: 10-13-09Name: Zenaida Mendez Phone: (973) 972-7273
Email: mendezze@umdnj.edu
UMDNJ Invites Prospective Vendors to Register for October 19 Procurement Event
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NEWARK, N.J. – The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey invites prospective vendors to learn more about doing business with the nation’s largest free-standing health sciences university at its 15th Annual Procurement Event and Luncheon on Oct. 19.
The event kicks off at 10 a.m. at the Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel, located at 515 Route 1 South in Iselin. “Sustaining Supplier Diversity” is this year’s theme. New Jersey-based entrepreneurs of all backgrounds, particularly female, minority and small business owners, are encouraged to register.
The State of New Jersey has set a goal that 25 percent of purchasing for construction, goods, equipment and services by public entities, including the University, be made from small and minority- and women-owned businesses. UMDNJ recently received several awards that recognize its leadership among purchasers striving to achieve this mandate. Through events such as this, the University seeks to expand its partnerships with a wide array of local entrepreneurs.
“Developing a strong and diverse group of vendors benefits both UMDNJ and the state as a whole because strong small businesses employ local people whose earnings mean so much to the vitality of their local communities,” said Ernestine Watson, assistant vice president of UMDNJ’s Office of Supplier Diversity and Vendor Development. “When small businesses are strong, the neighborhoods and communities where these businesses are located, and ultimately the state, can flourish.”
The program begins with a welcome from UMDNJ President William F. Owen, Jr., M.D. Participants then will have the opportunity to attend a variety of informative workshops between 10:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. Among the topics covered at these workshops are the UMDNJ supply chain process; contracts for construction as well as maintenance, repair and operations (MRO); IT and Telecommunications Services; and the request for proposal (RFP) process, risk and claims, contract management, healthcare in small business and payment procedures. UMDNJ purchasing staff and representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the New Jersey Division of Minority & Women Business Development will be on hand to answer questions.
A luncheon will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. UMDNJ Board of Trustees Member Milton Hollar-Gregory, Esq., will introduce featured speaker James A. Kocsi, district director for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s New Jersey District office, located in Newark. Among the items Kosci will discuss are government-guaranteed loans targeted to small businesses.
To register for this event, please contact Katherine Gary in UMDNJ’s Office of Supplier Diversity and Vendor Development at (973) 972-6288 or email garyka@umdnj.edu.
To register online, please visit: www.umdnj.edu/supplierdiversity/procurement_fair/form.htm.
Media interested in attending this event or in arranging an interview with Ernestine Watson should contact Zenaida Mendez at (973) 972-7273 or email mendezze@umdnj.edu.
As a resource to all citizens of New Jersey, UMDNJ is committed to diversity in education, research, health care, employment, and business opportunities. We are proud of our accomplishments and will continue to build on these achievements through actively and affirmatively seeking a diverse group of vendors and to develop professional relationships with small businesses, including minority and women-owned firms.
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is the nation’s largest free-standing public health sciences university with nearly 5,700 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and its only school of public health on five campuses. Annually, there are more than two million patient visits at UMDNJ facilities and faculty practices at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a statewide mental health and addiction services network.
